Category: News

Covid-19 update	As of Nov 1	As of Nov 8
Total cases statewide	136,755	141,317
Total current infections statewide	3,948	5,164
Total deaths statewide	1,568	1,599
New cases	2,029 (Oct. 25 to Nov. 1)	4,562 (Nov. 2 to Nov. 8)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	642	1,405
Current infections: Merrimack County	257	562
Current infections: Rockingham County	364	915

Covid-19 news

Due to a continued increase in Covid-19 numbers in New Hampshire, Gov. Chris Sununu recently announced that state officials will be returning to press conferences on a weekly basis.

During the state’s weekly public health update on Nov. 2, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that New Hampshire continues to average between 500 and 600 new infections of the virus per day, while test positivity and hospitalization rates remain high. As of Nov. 8 there were 5,164 active infections of Covid-19 statewide and 212 current hospitalizations. All 10 counties in the state still remain at substantial levels of community transmission.

Pfizer vaccines are now available for kids ages 5 to 11 in New Hampshire, following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Oct. 29 authorization for emergency use. Dr. Chan said during the Nov. 2 press conference that 5- to 11-year-olds receive a smaller dose, about one-third of a dose compared to adolescents and adults. “Even with this smaller dose … it creates a similar antibody response, and has been shown to be effective at preventing symptomatic disease,” he said. A statewide map of locations by town can be found at vaccines.nh.gov.

OSHA vaccine mandate lawsuit

New Hampshire will join a coalition of states filing a lawsuit to challenge the Emergency Temporary Standard issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration mandating that all private employers with 100 or more employees require their employees to be vaccinated, or conduct weekly Covid-19 testing and implement mask requirements. The Petition for Judicial Review was filed in the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on the morning of Nov. 5, Attorney General John M. Formella announced. New Hampshire is the 11th state to challenge the mandate, joining Missouri, Arizona, Nebraska, Montana, Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska and Wyoming, as well as a number of private businesses and organizations. “Covid vaccines are the most effective tool we have to protect ourselves and our community from this virus,” Gov. Sununu said in a statement. “but as the head of state, I recognize the limitations of government in mandating this personal medical decision. President Biden has created a loophole to facilitate this overreach, which is why I fully support the Attorney General’s decision to sign on to this lawsuit.”

No Senate for Sununu

Gov. Chris Sununu will not pursue a 2022 run for the U.S. Senate, but will seek re-election as the New Hampshire governor, he announced in a news conference on Nov. 9. According to WMUR, the decision is a surprise to Washington Republicans, who expected to see Sununu in a run for the Senate in a possible match-up against Sen. Maggie Hassan. “My responsibility is not to the gridlock and politics of Washington, it’s for the citizens of New Hampshire,” Sununu told reporters in Concord, according to WMUR. If reelected as governor, Sununu will be the second governor to serve four two-year terms, following Democrat John Lynch.

Craig re-elected

The Manchester mayoral election on Nov. 2 ended in another victory for incumbent Joyce Craig, as she was elected to her third term as the mayor of the state’s largest city. According to WMUR, Craig defeated former state Rep. Victoria Sullivan by a significant margin; the unofficial count from the Manchester City Clerk’s office on election day was 10,228 votes for Craig and 9,005 votes for Sullivan, a margin of 53 to 47 percent, with Craig winning eight of the city’s 12 wards. Craig won her first term in 2017, defeating incumbent Ted Gatsas, and her second term in 2019, defeating Sullivan by a margin of 56 to 43 percent. In her victory statement Craig reflected on the challenges that faced the city at the beginning of her second term, specifically in regard to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We took decisive action — developing guidelines, increasing access to city services, and providing free testing and vaccinations — all to ensure the health and safety of our community,” she said. “And through it all, we continued to move Manchester forward. We prioritized public safety, made investments in affordable housing, returned our students safely to the classrooms, and fostered economic growth.”

Veterans Day parade

The Manchester Veterans’ Council will present a Veterans Day Parade in Manchester on Thursday, Nov. 11, at 10:30 a.m. The parade will proceed down Elm Street starting at the north end and concluding at Veterans Park. Visit sweeneypost.org.

Enrollment open

The open enrollment period for the Healthcare.gov Marketplace, during which New Hampshire residents can purchase or change their Affordable Care Act individual health coverage for 2022, kicked off on Nov. 1 and will run through Jan. 15, 2022. According to a press release from the New Hampshire Insurance Department, New Hampshire has two Navigator grantees this year, First Choice Services and Health Market Connect, who will award a total of $1.6 million aimed at making affordable health insurance more accessible. Lower individual premium rates on the Marketplace were also made possible through a 1332 State Relief and Empowerment waiver approved in 2020, allowing New Hampshire to run a state-based reinsurance program that provides partial claim reimbursements to insurers from 2021 through 2025. “Premiums for individual and small group markets are the lowest in New England,” Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. Insurance companies offering ACA-compliant individual health insurance plans on the Marketplace for coverage through 2022 include Anthem, Ambetter from NH Healthy Families and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Residents are still eligible to enroll for Marketplace insurance outside of the enrollment period if they have a life event such as a marriage, the birth of a child or a change in employment status, according to the release.

Sports betting

Retail locations for sports betting are now permitted to operate in Nashua, according to a press release from New Hampshire Lottery. The sports betting legislation drafted in 2019 allows individual communities in New Hampshire to have their residents vote on whether or not to allow the operation of sports betting retail locations in their own communities. Nashua residents voted to permit retail sports betting during city elections on Nov. 2, becoming the 21st community in the state to do so. There are currently three retail sportsbooks operating in the state, located in Seabrook, Manchester and Dover, and the New Hampshire Lottery and DraftKings are looking to eventually operate as many as 10, according to the release. September was the state’s largest sports betting month on record with more than $68.1 million wagered.

CASA of New Hampshire is hosting a virtual information session to recruit new advocates in the Manchester area on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at 5:30 p.m. CASA is a nonprofit that trains volunteers to advocate for children who have experienced abuse and neglect, according to a press release. To register for the session, visit casanh.org, click on the Volunteer tab and select Virtual Info Sessions.

The State Historical Resources Council has added six properties to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places, according to a press release. Most locally, it includes the Milford Suspension Bridge, which has been in nearly continuous use since it was built in 1889, and the Goodhue House in Deerfield, which was built circa 1773 and is a Georgian-style, center chimney farmhouse with an attached ell, according to the release.

The Fairgrounds Middle School in Nashua, built in 1961, was rededicated on Nov. 4, according to a press release. It is the first phase of a $118 million middle school project that includes ongoing expansion and renovations at Pennichuck Middle School and the building of a new middle school at Buckmeadow Road, the release said.

The NH Tech Alliance TechWomen|TechGirls Annual Awards, delivered virtually this year, were presented to women who are making an impact in STEM education or professional advancements. The Tech Student of the Year is Isha Mistry of Salem High School, who graduated third in her class and was a part of her school’s FIRST robotics team and Girls Who Code. Tech Educator of the Year went to Kimberly Eckenrode, the Career and Technical Education Pathways Director at Nashua Community College. The Tech Professional of the Year is Melissa Jurkoic, Chief Customer Experience Officer at Addapptation.

Covid-19 update	As of Oct 25	As of Nov 1
Total cases statewide	129,663	136,755
Total current infections statewide	4,430	3,948
Total deaths statewide	1,524	1,568
New cases	3,920 (Oct. 12 to Oct. 18)	2,029 (Oct. 25 to Nov. 1)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	NA*	642
Current infections: Merrimack County	NA*	257
Current infections: Rockingham County	NA*	364

Covid-19 news

As of Nov. 1 there were 3,948 active infections of Covid-19 statewide and 193 current hospitalizations. Three additional deaths were announced in the last week, bringing the total number of deaths to 1,568 since the start of the pandemic last year.

The Department of Health and Human Services has resumed the Homebound Vaccination program to administer Covid-19 vaccines and booster doses to Granite Staters who are unable or have difficulty leaving their home or who have been advised by a medical provider that their health could worsen by leaving their home, according to a press release. Call 603-338-9292 or visit onsitenh.com/vaccine to set up an appointment.

Vax lawsuit

New Hampshire has joined the states of Missouri, Nebraska, Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming in filing a lawsuit against the federal government for imposing a vaccine mandate on federal contractors and federally contracted employees, according to a press release from Attorney General John M. Formella. “The State has made clear that the available Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective and that every eligible person in New Hampshire is encouraged to get a Covid-19 vaccine. That said, the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine do not justify violating the law. This lawsuit is being filed to protect the State of New Hampshire from the federal government’s attempt to impose illegal mandates,” Formella said in a statement.

Criminal defense

The New Hampshire Supreme Court Report on the Recommendations of the Criminal Defense Task Force has been released. According to the report, the Supreme Court has approved and adopted the following recommendations from the task force to help resolve current criminal defense issues, including a shortage of public defense attorneys.

(1) Increase public awareness.

(2) Adopt Early Case Resolution. “ECR programs are a necessity given the present overwhelming caseloads that are challenging all participants in the criminal justice system,” the report says. “The Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office is hiring two additional prosecutors for ECR purposes.”

(3) Secure additional funding to support contract attorneys. “Funds from the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery have been approved to reimburse contract attorneys for past administrative costs associated with their increased caseloads,” the report says. “The Judicial Council is in the process of seeking $2,066,000 in American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 funds for up to ten new, temporary attorneys to assist with current caseload challenges…”

(4) Improve scheduling: “A brief pause in criminal cases would allow practitioners to better assess caseloads. … The Court recommends that the Administrative Judges of the trial courts schedule a one-time, one-week pause on all criminal cases in the trial courts [in] January 2022.”

(5) Work on recruitment: “Judges in the trial courts … should consider making personal overtures … to criminal practitioners in their counties to accept contract and/or pro bono criminal cases.”

(6) Expand training: “Criminal defense training and mentoring [is needed] to expand the number of attorneys representing indigent clients.”

(7) Make rule changes: “Temporary rule changes could encourage more attorneys to represent indigent defendants,” the report says.

ARP Homeless funds

The New Hampshire Department of Education announced last week that nearly $2.3 million in American Rescue Plan funds will go toward funding the education of homeless children and youth. “Students experiencing homelessness encounter unique barriers in accessing educational opportunities, which have been exacerbated by disruptions to academic and other vital supports throughout the pandemic,” McKenzie Snow, director of NHDOE’s Division of Learner Support, said in a press release. ARP Homeless funds were distributed to the state in two parts: Part I, which totals nearly $575,000, was awarded through a competitive grant process to Concord, Claremont, Seabrook, Winnacunnet and Manchester school districts and will be used to support activities such as trauma-based professional development, social work staffing and expanded school liaisons hours, according to the release. Part II, which totals more than $1.7 million, was awarded to 52 school districts by a formula based on population, poverty and homelessness and will be used to address the academic, social, emotional and mental health needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness, the release said.

The Manchester Marathon will take place Sunday, Nov. 7, starting at 9 a.m. in front of Veterans Park on Elm Street. There will be a marathon, half-marathon and relays on that day, according to a press release, as well as a 5K the day before at Fisher Cats Stadium.

After being selected as the state’s most outstanding schools for demonstrating leadership in getting and keeping their students fit, Londonderry Middle School, Portsmouth Middle School and Groveton High School each opened their new Don’t Quit Fitness Centers at a virtual ribbon cutting ceremony last week. According to a press release, the facilities were gifted to the schools by the National Foundation for Governors’ Fitness Councils.

The 2021 Seven to Save list was released last week and includes the Milford Bandstand. According to a press release, all the properties on the list need investments to help restore them back into viable community assets. Other properties include The Weirs Drive-In & Archaeological Site in Laconia and all of New Hampshire’s Historic Theaters.